1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an anchoring system for securing a medical article to a patient to inhibit movement or migration of the medical article relative to the patient.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hospitalized patients often have limited mobility due either to their condition or to doctor's orders. Such patients must lie in bed and not move about their hospital room, even to urinate. As such, a Foley catheter is often used with the bed-confined patient to drain urine from the patient's bladder. Use of a Foley catheter thus eliminates toilet trips as well as reduces bedpan use.
A Foley catheter may include three coaxial lumens: a drainage lumen, an inflation lumen, and an auxiliary lumen. The inflation lumen communicates with an inflation balloon located at the tip of the catheter (i.e., the catheter proximal end). The proximal end of the drainage lumen includes one or more influent openings to receive urine from the bladder. The lumens usually diverge in a trident pattern at the distal end of the catheter to form an effluent port, an auxiliary port, and an inflation port.
In use, a healthcare provider inserts the Foley catheter through the urinary tract of the patient to locate the tip of the catheter within the patient's bladder. The healthcare provider often applies lubricant to the outer surface of the catheter. The provider then inflates the balloon by attaching the inflation port to a source of pressurized working fluid (e.g., saline solution). Once inflated, a valve, which is located at the inflation port, inhibits the flow of fluid from the inflation lumen and the balloon to keep the balloon inflated. The inflated balloon prevents the catheter from unintentionally dislodging from the bladder. The healthcare provider then connects the distal end of the drainage lumen (i.e., its effluent port) to a drainage tube leading to a collection container. The third lumen may be intermittently connected to a source of liquids to irrigate the bladder.
The healthcare provider usually secures the distal end of the Foley catheter to the patient using tape. The healthcare provider commonly places long pieces of tape across the distal end of the catheter in a crisscross pattern to secure the catheter distal end to the inner thigh of the patient. This securement inhibits disconnection between the catheter and the drainage tube, as well as prevents the catheter or drainage tube from snagging on the bed rail or other objects.
Taped connections, however, often collect contaminants and dirt. Normal protocol therefore requires periodic tape changes in order to inhibit bacteria and germ growth at the securement site. Frequent tape changes though lead to another problem: excoriation of the patient's skin. In addition, valuable time is spent applying and reapplying the tape to secure the catheter. And healthcare providers often remove their gloves when taping because most find the taping procedure difficult and cumbersome when wearing gloves. Not only does this further lengthen the procedure, but it also subjects the healthcare provider to possible infection.